SAN FRANCISCO — Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she would retire after a 39-year career in the House when her term ends in early 2027, but the battle for her seat started heating up weeks before she told constituents.

Two candidates — a wealthy progressive who made his mark working for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a longtime state senator who has championed new housing construction — have already started their 2026 campaigns in earnest.

Local leaders and campaign strategists have speculated that others may still join the contest in San Francisco, a city of rough-and-tumble politics whose politicians have had outsize success on the national stage. Pelosi has held her seat for nearly four decades, and it was a launchpad for her to become the first woman to serve as House spe

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